Misérable Joie
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day three hundred and seven: Whatever's drawn Terri to attend the show, the reunion was a surprise.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 14th cycle. Now cycle 15!_

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**"Misérable Joie"  
Terri & Bryan **

She had a time where something, anything, that reminded her in any way of Glee Club and everything she had lost because of it was just not something she would tolerate to have in her presence. It made her angry, or sad, or any host of emotions she could not deal with. So she acted with caution.

Then one day something happened. She couldn't explain it, but then there it was, out of the blue… She'd come across the ticket booth at the local theater, seen their production of 'Les Misérables' announced and before she knew it she was the owner of a center fourth aisle seat two nights later. She would be on her own, which wasn't the best kind of evening she could hope for, but she still wanted to be there. So on show night, she came to sit in her given seat, ready for a show.

She'd gone in that night with no expectations at all, so it had caught her by surprise to find there a familiar face. She didn't recognize him at first, but he had something about him that just connected with familiarity. It took a few more minutes for it to click, for a faded image of a boy who had once shared the Glee Club stage with Will to suddenly cut across time and reveal that boy all grown up.

The rest of the show, she couldn't help but focus on him. Once she knew it was him, her mind saw him as the answer to bringing more memories out. She remembered how she did find him cute, but beyond that she felt nothing, not the way she felt for Will. Thing was that she was well aware of the fact he had a crush on her, and she wouldn't give him the time of day.

But he did look like he'd done well with himself since their days at McKinley; she'd give him that. So at the end of the show, when the cast took their bow and he spotted her, she gave him a wave and gestured she'd wait for him outside.

Now standing there she couldn't decide just what expectations she had created, for him and for herself. The minutes went by and, once the parade of exiting spectators ended, she stared at the sky, waiting, until the doors opened to reveal Bryan Ryan, now out of costume and makeup. They moved to share the old 'it's been a while' kind of embrace, cheek kisses and all.

"Well this is a surprise, and a nice one at that," he greeted her. "It's been since…"

"Graduation," she filled in, and he nodded. "Long time."

"Couldn't tell," he observed her, which made her smile, touched. "Well it really is a pleasure. I ran into your husband not too long ago. Actually we both auditioned, but the director decided to go with… experience," he gave a smirk. "He came real close, though."

"He's not my husband anymore," she revealed. "Divorce went through a few weeks ago," she went on.

"I'm… so sorry to hear that," he spoke, then after a pause, "Well I'd love to catch up, if you… I mean, if you're free, there's a café up the street there," he pointed. She looked, hesitating.

"Well… it is still a little early… I wouldn't say no to coffee and pie…" she extended the possibility. He smiled and offered an arm.

"And I would be glad to get that for you." She smiled back and took his arm, letting him lead her to the café. Soon they would be seated at a table by the window, with coffee for both and pie for Terri.

"You were very good tonight," she told him, and he grinned with pride.

"What can I say, I was made for the stage," he picked up his cup. "Listen, I'd hate to have to wait until a… reunion, or another random encounter to see you again…"

"Well I work at Sheets 'N Things," she told him, after swallowing a bite of pie.

"Some new sheets might be nice," he agreed. "But I was thinking about something not so… work related." She looked to his hand.

"You're married," she pointed out. He looked down to the ring, as though he'd almost forgotten. He looked back at her. She breathed out, taking the last of her pie and coffee. "I should go. Early morning tomorrow," she explained.

"Right," he nodded. They both stood to say goodbye. "I might still take you up on the sheets," he smiled.

"I'll get you a discount," she told him. "Bye, Bryan," she nodded as she went. Walking to her car, she had to wonder, if it wasn't for his being married, if she'd gone for it, or if she would still be thinking of Will…

THE END

_[A/N: Attention, reader! If you're at all skilled in helping break fic-planning conundrums, give a big ol' shout! :D]  
(Note to self, don't put the words 'crack' and 'fic' next to each other, it leads to confusion ;))_

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**_[A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, story alert won't get you anything! ;)]_**


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